The Humility of Pope Francis

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine and right the next day, Pope Francis went to the Russian embassy in the Vatican State where he was allowed to talk via secured lines to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also called the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church in Ukraine, Archbishop Sviatoslav Schevchuk. On February 26, he called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (a Jew) with the same message: a deep concern for Ukraine and calling for peace to avoid the danger of escalating war leading to thermonuclear (atomic) conflict. The Pope’s anguish is because 72% of Ukraine population of 44 million are Orthodox Catholic Christians. What Pope Francis did was remarkable, extraordinary.

When war broke out in 1914 between Germany and England, the Austro-Hungary Empire versus Russia, France, UK and USA, there were very little press releases about the Pope’s appeal for peace. When Germany invaded Poland, France in 1939 and 1940, when Japan attacked USA on December 7, 1941, again there were little news items about the Pope calling for a ceasefire.

The Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church with more than 1 billion members, plus 300 million Orthodox Church members. His worldwide influence on morality, humanity and religion is accepted; yet when the Ukrainian war erupted he did not hesitate to go at once to the Russian Embassy in the Vatican state to plead for ceasefire instead of calling for the Russian ambassador assigned to the Vatican State to a meeting in the Vatican’s office. That week, the Pope issued a special prayer for peace to be recited in all Catholic Churches during masses, novenas, synods, just like the Oratio Imperata. His humility and unconventional ways have not only gained respect but also trust across religions all over the world.